


Circus monster

by myotishia



Series: All ye who enter here [4]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-07 21:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19093666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: From a pile of dead weevils to a ,so called, haunting at a cinema.





	1. Celluloid

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

It had been a while since the team had all had dinner together. Gwen wanted to announce her pregnancy but every time she considered saying anything her nerves got the best of her. She realised she’d completely spaced out.

“Oh yea, like you have a criminal record.” Owen laughed. 

Ianto rolled his eyes. “I do. It’s not impressive but I still have one.”

“Ianto. Are you a… Delinquent?” Elise feigned shock, as if they hadn’t talked about it before.

“Says the woman with the drunk and disorderly charge.”

“It isn’t how it sounds.”

Owen looked over at her. “No, come on. You can’t just leave us hanging here.”

“Ugh fine. I was nineteen and it was freshers week. I’d just finished packing all the kit away from the gig and the lads decided they wanted to stay for a few drinks. And so began the three stages of me getting drunk. Step one, I was a bit tipsy, talking to whoever would listen. Step two, officially drunk, getting really depressing. Then step three hit. I only know any of this because our guitarist recorded it. So step three is my brain going, I might be dying so may as well go out in spectacular fashion. The lads rolled up with a shopping trolley, no idea where they got it from, and I hopped in. Then began a night of touring Cardiff in my shopping trolley chariot handing out plasters to anyone who looked sad, singing at the top of my lungs and telling some guy that he was the biggest arsehole I’d ever seen. Luckily we were both so far gone neither of us could throw a punch. I woke up in a cell the next morning having swapped clothes with my cellmate at some point. We dated for two years after that.” 

“I can’t even imagine you getting drunk, let alone all that.”

“I got off lightly. Our lead singer lost his clothes somewhere, though our guitarist woke up wearing designer high heels so that was something. Hey, that got wiped with the rest of my history. The only vaguely cool thing I ever did.”

“Says the woman who’s made two exploding robots.”

“They were never designed to explode.”

“Not the point. They still exploded.”

Ianto shrugged. “He has a point. Explosions make anything instantly cool.”

“You two agreeing on anything? That’s a sign of the apocalypse isn’t it?” Gwen smiled.

“It’s what comes just before pestilence I believe.”  

Gwen looked over at Jack who was studying her.

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Well you spent the last ten minutes staring into space until you just woke up soooo.”

“It’s… Um… Well…I didn’t find a good moment to mention it.”

“Mention what?”

“I’m… Pregnant.”

Gwen jumped as Tosh let out a happy squeak and Jacks eyes lit up. 

“How long?”

“About eight weeks.”

“Congratulations.” He beamed.

 

A few strange reports cut the celebration a little short. Owen and Elise went out to collect a stack of weevil bodies left dumped in a field. They’d suspected that it had been the result of a leadership fight but on the scene it was clear that was not the fact. Each body had at least two bullet wounds. All the shots hit the creatures in the back. A couple had been tagged by Torchwood before but the rest were wild. 

“Someone’s been hunting them.” Said Owen, looking at the grass stains on the bottoms of their clawed feet. They’d usually be caked in sewer runoff but all of the dead weevils looked like they had been hosed down at some point. The owner of the field had called the police thinking the bodies were human at first. 

“Who’d even do this?” Elise asked, feeling sorry for the weevils.

“I don’t know. They’re not in the city anymore so no one should even know about them. They look like someone was keeping them in captivity before they died.” 

“This is as bad as the weevil fight club.”

“You were there?”

“Yea. Watching from high up. In the original timeline you nearly died in there.”

“You never told me why. What sent me off the edge.”

“A broken heart.” She said softly. “Remember when I time jumped you in your sleep? It was so you didn’t meet her and she didn’t get the chance.”

“Couldn’t you have just told me?”

“You wouldn’t have listened.”

He knew she was right. Whenever he fell for someone he fell hard and fast and he could see himself falling into a deep depression if that person left. He was pulled from his thoughts by the distant sound of an engine. 

“Think they’re coming back?”

“If they are we should hide.” 

They both clambered down into the hedgerow, uncomfortable but decently out of sight. The SUV was still by the gate at the far end so it shouldn’t give them away. A white van slowly made its way across the grass and over to the corpse pile. Two men jumped out and walked round to the back, opening the doors. They weren’t armed which would make life easier.

“Should we catch them or try and track them?” Elise breathed.

“We need to get them away from the van if we’re going to bring them in.”

“They left the keys in it. Want me to jump over and make sure they can’t escape.”

“We don’t know if there’s anyone else in there.”

“I can look before I get in. Just be ready, yea?”

“Better than sitting here doing nothing.”

She nodded and waited until the two men were unloading one of the bodies before jumping. The door had been left open and there was no one left in the vehicle. She had to wait until they were looking the other direction before getting in so they didn’t see the weight of the van shift. The keys were still in. Perfect. She’d need to get moving as soon as was possible, and hope that the surprise would keep the two busy, as getting moving on bad terrain in a vehicle not known for its speed would be a pain. She could hear them pulling on another body to toss on the pile and took her chance, revving the engine and accelerating. Grass and mud sprayed up into the air before the tires got a decent grip to move the van forwards. The two men were startled and dropped the weevil they’d been attempting to shift. Behind them Owen climbed up out of the hedgerow and drew his gun.

“Freeze! Put your hands on your heads.” He ordered.

The two looked round, one immediately doing as he was told and the other trying to make a run for it. 

Owen rolled his eyes. “Always has to be one.”

Elise swung the van around, breaking only millimetres from the running man who crumpled like a wet paper bag. 

 

Jack, Tosh and Gwen had taken the report that was somewhat less of a possible bio hazard. The workers renovating an old cinema had complained of seeing ghosts and Gwen was spending her time speaking to each of them. So far the only things she’d found was that the ‘haunting’ had started when some of the vintage film reels had been brought in and that they would often hear music, like an old carousel, just before the apparitions would appear. One of the decorators looked sickly as he entered the small office.

“Are you feeling alright?” She asked, not wanting him to collapse. 

“Yea… I’m ok. You want to know about the ghosts?”

“I’m not here to judge what they may or may not be. I’m just here to collect information.”

“I don’t think they’re ghosts.”

“And what makes you believe that?”

“Ghosts aren't solid.”

“Solid?”

“Yea. There was this girl with clown makeup on. She walked out of the screen when they were testing the projector. She cartwheeled right over to me and pulled on my shirt. Then she disappeared when the projector went off.”

Up in the storage area of the building Jack and Tosh were looking through the hundreds of film canisters that ha been collected there. Some had been tagged for transport and others for use once the cinema opened. It was an impressive collection containing everything from celluloid film reels to betamax and laserdisc.

“I thought Ianto was the film buff, not you.” Said Tosh as she switched shelves.

“He is. I got a warning about a similar incident to this in the past. I caught it before it happened but I’m hoping this is different.”

“Could you be a little less vague?”

“It was footage of a travelling group… I knew them back when they were around, but somehow they left echoes of themselves in the film.”

“You don’t sound like it was a good time.”

“It wasn’t. I left them for a damn good reason. If I can find the right reel I can destroy it before they get out.”

“What would they do if they did?”

“The ringmaster would start taking people to build his audience. Try and continue what he started years ago.”

Gwens voice floated over comms. “Apparently this started when they were testing the projector.”

“Did they say which one?”

“No. He kind of shut down after I got that much.”

“We’ll go and take a look. Can you take a look around for an inventory list?”

“Yea. Have you got something?”

“A hunch.”

“Ah very scientific.”

“I’m nothing if not a scientist.”

Tosh tried to hide her giggles unsuccessfully. 

 

As Jack and Tosh made their way up to the projector room he suddenly found himself grabbed around the stomach from behind.

“Jack! You’re here too?” A feminine voice, with a french accent, trilled excitedly. 

He turned to see a young woman in face paint and a ruffled stage outfit. “Janey?”

“Oui! Ze Ghostmaster said ze reaper had finally claimed you. You look so different.”

“Where are the others?”

“Zey are in ze film. Andreas took it to keep it safe.” She looked so proud of herself.

“I need him to hand it over. Where is he?”

“I do not know. He left wiz Lorna, but I am sure zey would love to see you too. I missed you very much. I even had to learn how to paint my face myself.”

“I missed you too kid.” He gave her a smile to hide his worry and guilt.

“I hoped you would see me on ze film. I told you I would be ze starlet one day. Oh, and who is zis? You are a friend of Jack? Zen you are a friend of mine. You may call me Janey.” The excitable woman offered a hand to Toshiko to shake. 

Tosh shot a glance at Jack so she knew if it was ok, relieved when he nodded. “It’s nice to meet you Janey. I’m Tosh.”

“Tosh, zat is a tres belle name.”

“Thank you. I assume you both worked together?”

“Oui! Well, Jack made sure ze others were not cruel to me. He told me to follow my dreams. I am not ze friek, I am ze starlet.” Janey hopped back and twirled. 

Tosh couldn’t help but be charmed by how giddy this woman seemed. “You’re certainly the show business type.”

“I should show you my act. I showed ze men painting in ze room wiz ze stage but I don’t zink he appreciated it.”

“What’s your act?”

“Jack has kept my secret.” She grinned. “I can disappear.”

“Really?”

“Watch closely.” She took a bow and as she moved to stand back up she was seemingly gone. Tosh looked around in surprise. 

“Where did she-”

“Boo.” Janey whispered from behind Toshiko, making her jump. “I am fast, non?”

“How did you do that?”

“Zat is ze trade secret. Are you ze actress?”

“Me? No, no.”

Jack decided it was time to interject. “Janey, as nice as it is to see you again I need to get hold of that film reel.”

Janey frowned and sighed. “Fine. But after you get it can you tell me where you have been and what you have been doing?”

“Sure.”

“Zen I will do my best. Follow me.”

 

Owen looked through the one way glass at one of the men who’d been dumping the weevils. The guy was clearly worried, strapped down to a chair in the concrete box, only able to stare at his own reflection. Owen was just letting them sweat on it for a while, hoping it would encourage them to talk. They certainly hadn’t wanted to on the drive back. 

“Hello?! Is anyone even out there?” The bound man cried, pulling at his restraints. “Where am I? I don’t know what you want, I was just hired to dump those things. I don’t even know what they are!”

There it was, they never took that long to crack unless they were military trained. He wandered round to the door and unlatched the old metal lock. “You done screaming?”

“Look, I don’t even know anything. I just throw away the leftover kills.”

“And who hired you to do that?”

“They’re just some rich toffs. They can’t hunt foxes or anything anymore so they started flushing out those things to shoot.”

“Those rich toffs have names or what?”

“I don’t know. I do this for cash. No names, no paper trail.”

“An address then.”

“I… I don-”

“Do you know what those things can do to people? Because I can show you.” He pulled a set of photographs of bodies he’d taken in the past after weevil attacks and held them in front of the man's face.

He reeled in disgust, going green and trying not to throw up.

“If you’re trying to protect these people then that’s how they’re going to end up, if you don’t start telling the truth. I’m being nice here and you don’t want to find out what my boss would do to you.” He threw the photos aside.

“It’s just a farm. Used to keep hunting dogs. Frank, the other guy in the van will know. Please just let me go. I didn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Owen was sceptical, these types would say anything to save their own arses. “Anything else I should know? Because if I go and see your friend and he says the same thing then you might end up face to face with one of those creatures that isn’t a corpse.”

“You can’t do this to me! This is illegal!”

“Mate, where do you think you are? As far as the world out there is concerned you don’t exist anymore. The law doesn’t mean shit here. The only thing between you and death is what I tell the bloke in charge.” Technically it was true but whatever this guy said, or didn’t say, he’d just be retconned and sent back into the world. But he didn’t need to know that. Owen needed him to think that he held all the cards and he was the good guy, the one chance of getting out alive. 

“Fuck, please, I don’t want to die!” He begged, looking a lot smaller than he had before.

“As long as you’re honest with me you’ll be fine. I don’t want to kill you.”

“If he says he doesn’t know where the place is he’s lying. He always drove. I’m just the heavy lifting.”

 

Elise lent against the far wall as Owen left the small room. 

“Well aren’t you terrifying.” She smiled.

He rolled his eyes. “That’s me being the good cop.”

“You’ll have to show me bad cop some time. Our other guy wouldn’t shut up so I had a word and guess who got an address.” She held up a small piece of paper.

“How the fuck did you manage that? I had to scare the living shit out of this guy to get him to talk.”

“Easy, I just space jumped around the room a bit and played with the lights. He thought the devil himself was trying to claim his soul.”

“Unfair advantage but it worked I guess.” He plucked the paper from her hand. “Have you double checked his address?”

“It’s definitely a large farm and it’s considered private land so it sounds pretty legit.”

“They’re going to be armed so we can’t go in alone. Have to wait until Jack gets back.”

“Wouldn’t it be wise to face this after dark?”

“Yea, but I’d rather not get in a midnight firefight.”

“We could at least set the weevils free and scope out what we could be facing while everyone’s asleep.”

“Or we could get attacked by guard dogs.”

“Nothing some bacon can’t fix. I wonder how the others are dealing with their haunting.”

“It’s taking longer than I thought it would.”

 

Gwen looked out at the dreary evening after texting Rhys that she might be home late. The workmen had mostly left when she spotted her workmates.

“There you are. Did you find anything?” She asked.

“Did anyone strange leave ?” Jack was looking out over her shoulder seeming on edge.

“Only the decorators.”

“Good. As long as they haven’t left the building we shouldn’t have too much trouble.”

“They?”

“Two of the so called ghosts. They have the film reel that’s causing all this.”

“Right. Any idea what they look like?”

“If I remember right Lorna is around five foot seven, dark hair, wears green stage gear. She’s usually carrying a set of her throwing knives. Andreas is five foot nine, black hair, a bandanna wrapped over his right eye. He always wore a cape to cover his right arm. He’s a hypnotist.”

“You’re on a first name basis with them?”

“I was.” 

“Oh and if you see a woman in a frilly tutu and face paint, that’s Janey. She’s friendly.” Smiled Tosh, much more at ease than Gwen had expected her to be.

“She’s checking the upper floor. They trust her so she’ll be fine on her own. I’m going to check the screens, can you two check the box office and staff areas?”

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “And what do we do if we find them?”

“Just tell them you’re with me and don't look Andreas in the eye.” He said firmly, backing towards the hallway to the screens. 

 

He had just entered the third screen when he heard voices from the projector room above. 

“Janey, I know you miss him but this is just… Are you sure you’re not feeling ill?” Andreas asked, his smooth voice just as soothing as it had always been.

“I am certain! It was him, let me show you.”

A second female voice drifted down, her slightly more mature tone and correct pronunciation giving away her identity. “When we have set the rest of the troupe free I will entertain your little daydream.”

“Wait, zere is no rush. We should make sure it is safe.” Janey placed a hand on the unopened canister. “And Jack seems to know zis place. He could help us.”

“Jane this is not the time for your games.”

“It is not a game!”

Jack knew Janey wouldn’t be able to stop Lorna doing exactly as she wanted and he couldn’t allow the other performers to escape. 

“You’re not exactly whispering up there.” He called up.

“See? It is Jack!” Janey jumped down, rolling into the fall and turning it into a cartwheel.

Lorna looked down, wide eyed. “S-stay exactly where you are!” She demanded, rushing off and down to meet him, followed by Andreas who preferred to take his time. She stopped in front of the Captain.

“Hey. You’re a sight for sore eyes.” He smiled. 

“It really is you.” She gasped before slapping him so hard across the face he staggered back, stunned. “You utter bastard! How could you leave us believing that you were dead?! Bad enough you leave, but to act as if everything is well upon your return.”

He rubbed his cheek and regained his composure. “I missed you too.”

“Being as you gave up your old act what do you plan to do?”

“I plan to do my job.”

“Job? Who exactly would employ a ruffian such as yourself?”

“The queen technically but I do what I have to without reporting back.”

“Egh.” She sneered. “I thought you were better than the military.”

“I’m not in the military. At least not anymore. Did you bring the film down with you?”   

Andreas looked down at the canister under his arm. “Why?”

“It’s the whole reason I’m here.”

“You were planning to release us?”

“Not exactly… You know you’re not… Alive.”

“I certainly feel alive but I think I understand what you’re trying to say. Not that it matters.”

Lorna drew three of her blades. “Stay out of our way Jack. Come along Janey, we can release the others and the Ghostmaster can deal with this traitor.”

Janey stood between Jack and Lorna, her arms out. “Non! Non! Zere is no need to fight. We can talk zis over.” 

“Jane, get out of the way. I cannot kill him so you have nothing to fear.”

“Zat is not ze point. We are family.”

“We **were** family.” Lorna raised her arm to throw the knife.

“Drop the weapon!” Ordered Gwen from the doorway, her gun raised, aimed at the performers back. Tosh stood beside her, her own weapon at the ready but clearly out of her depth. Jack placed a hand on Janeys shoulder to move her aside.

“Hand over the film Andreas. It’s over.” He said calmly, holding out his hand. 

The hypnotist didn’t move. “You don’t want to do this Jack. Tell your colleagues to drop their weapons.”

“Do you really think that’s going to work on me?”

“I didn’t need it to work, just to keep your eyes on me for a moment.”

Jack realised swiftly that the canister was gone and so was Janey.  Neither Gwen nor Tosh saw her move but she was definitely gone. 

“Tosh, I want the power cut to this whole building. Gwen, call your friends and get this place surrounded until morning. No one enters and no one leaves.”

 

Owen watched as the two circus performers were escorted down to the cells. He’d heard what had happened from Tosh on their way back and knew the news of this weevil hunt wasn’t going to make the night any better. Gwen slumped down at her desk.

“You ok?” Asked Owen.

“I’m fine. It’s just going to be an early morning tomorrow.” She rubbed her eyes and looked at her phone. 

“I think you should go home before you hear about what we’ve been working on.”

“Why? Is it that bad?”

“No, but I get the feeling we’ll be pulling an all nighter and you could probably do with the sleep.”

“What about Tosh?”

“I handed her her bag and coat when she walked in.”

“Jack’s going to be pissed.”

“Naa, he’s just going to wish he could follow you.”

She laughed softly and mouthed “thanks” before rushing out to get home. 

Jack returned with Ianto at his side. “Where’s Tosh and Gwen?”

“I sent them home. They won’t be any use to you in the morning if they don’t get some sleep.”

“And you’re still here why?”

“Because I’ve been dealing with weevil hunters.”

“The men in cells six and seven.” Clarified Ianto.

“They were just the ones dumping bodies, but they did give us an address where the weevils are being held. It’s a farm where they used to breed hunting dogs. They’re going to be armed to the teeth so we were thinking it might be wise to hit the place at night. You get the final say on it but the weapons they have are a lot more powerful than your typical hunters rifles.” 

Jack ran his hands over his face. “And as soon as they realise their disposal guys are gone they’re going to move their whole operation. Ok, I assume you’ve got maps of the area and some kind of information on who we’re dealing with.”

“I thought we could just go in blindfolded. Of course I have.”

“So?”

“So, the bloke who owns the place is a lord. Going on the food and wine deliveries he’s been inviting at least ten people to stay each weekend for the past three months. Last weekend Lord Thresher threw a huge do. The police had to attend at about 4 AM Sunday morning to stop a drunken fistfight but weren’t allowed to get anywhere near the actual house.”

“Is our resident weevil whisperer ready to go?”

Elise sat up from her power nap. “That had better not be catching on. I’m ready when you are. I even have treats ready for the security.”

“Dogs?”

“Three staffies. Brutus, Tiberius and Cesar. They might have also brought their great dane, Alexander, but he’s not an attack dog. As long as we can get the weevils free I don’t think anything else will be a problem.”

“So said the weevil whisperer.” Jack grinned as Ianto tried not to laugh at the look on Elises face.

“Knock it off.”

 

  
  



	2. Limelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the cinema locked down the team turn their attention to the weevils being hunted.

It was a long walk from the road to the front gate of the farm but it meant the SUV stayed out of sight. Owen looked as if he was holding his breath.

“Stop being a big baby.” Elise chided softly.

“It stinks everywhere here.”

“You work with literal rotting bodies.”

“Them stinking doesn’t change the stench out here.”

“Ok city boy.”

“You’ve only ever lived in cities. What are you on about?”

“London is very different to Cardiff.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Just kiss and get it over with already.”

“That would just make things really uncomfortable.”

“Then go and deal with them.” He gestured with a small penlight towards three dogs who were watching them intently from the gate. 

“Hey puppies.” Elise sang, the dogs starting to wag their tails at the friendly greeting. “You being good boys? Yea? Who wants treats?” She took the dog bones stuffed with sedative spiked peanut butter out of her bag. It wasn’t enough to knock them out, just make them more relaxed and less likely to make a fuss. The three huge dogs gladly took the treats and padded off to their kennels to enjoy the treats. 

“You’re the dog whisperer now too.” Commented Owen as he hopped the fence, not wanting to make a noise by opening the gate. 

“Staffies look scary but they’re perpetual puppies. As long as you’re not aggressive they’re usually pretty chill.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” 

Jack vaulted the fence and looked over at the house. The lights were off which was both a good sign and a blessing for keeping their night vision. Once Elise had joined the two men they headed towards the house. Around the back of the building a small path lead up to a barn. Jack placed on the lens and scoped out the buildings. 

“Four people in the house and the barn is glowing with too many to count.” He said before placing the glasses back in his pocket. 

“Want me to stick around here or head up to the barn?” Asked Elise.

“We can handle things here for now, go on ahead and let them out.”

“Good luck in there.” She nodded before space jumping up to the barn.

“I wish she’d warn us before doing that.” Blinked Owen, his brain catching up with his eyes. He turned to the back door and set up the lockpick, listening hard for any kind of movement. Even the most paranoid people tended to get complacent out in the middle of nowhere and that made life so much easier. No complicated security systems, just a few good old locks. 

After a soft click the door could be slid open quietly. Inside the building was decorated in dark wood and a myriad of taxidermied animals, most likely trophies from past hunts. The weapons were most likely kept in some kind of safe away from prying eyes. The house had a cellar so that was the first place to look. A door in the kitchen opened to a dark set of stairs leading down. No matter how good your night vision was there was no way you could see down there without a light. Jack held up his torch and carefully made his way down, Owen following a few steps behind.

“Holy shit.” Owen breathed, seeing the military grade armoury that had been hidden underneath the nondescript home.

“This can’t just be for hunting.”

 

The barn didn’t seem as normal up close. The wood was actually painted metal and the doors were locked with a bolt and an industrial padlock. She took the bolt cutters that were strapped to the side of her backpack. The padlock itself would take too long to cut through but the sliding bolt itself was actually thinner where the lock as slid through. It was the little things that made most basic security really easy to get through. The padlock and part of the sliding bolt clattered to the floor. She could hear movement and small sounds from beyond the door as it slowly swung open. Inside she found multiple families of weevils huddled in the dark beyond thick metal bars. In the furthest cage a very large male with a scar gouged into his cheek huffed, not sure whether to be frightened or angry at this odd intruder. He sniffed the air and decided that fear was the correct reaction.

“Hey there big guy, how about we get you out of here, eh?” Elise smiled softly, studying the lock under torchlight. Just as she was about to grab it to get a better view the weevil whimpered.

“What’s up?”

He waved his hand towards the top corner of the cage where an electrical box sat. Each of the cages was electrified to keep the creatures from trying to escape.

“Thanks. Wait here while I switch that off.” She followed the wires over to the control box and switched off the power. Behind her the large male reached through the bars and took hold of the padlock, twisting it. The sound of bending and creaking metal echoed off the walls before others followed suit, clawed hands trying to pull the metal cages apart. 

“Woah, woah, calm down. We have to stay quiet. We don’t want to pull attention.” 

Silence fell again and the large male looked at the broken padlock in his hand before carefully placing it on top of the locking mechanism he’d pulled it from, not quite understanding what she was talking about. She pushed down laughter, finding it kind of sweet, and took the lock so she could open the cage. With the door open the male stepped out, hunched low so he could look up at her respectfully. 

“Once you’re out of here, are the sewers safe for you?”

He didn’t seem to know how to answer.

“Are there safe parts you can get to without running into any humans?”

The weevil nodded. 

Once she’d cut away the other locks the large group of creatures began their exodus, some running without looking back, others looking around cautiously. A female waved to get the womans attention. Holding up the torch Elise could see a small shape clutching on to the female for dear life, tiny claws on tiny hands holding tight. Its eyes hadn’t opened yet and it gummed at the air, not having a single fang. It made a squeaking little sound. The female weevil purred and cooed as she gestured to the small being.

“Congratulations. You have a very strong looking baby.” Elise smiled, hoping that it would be taken as a compliment.

The mother looked happy and trilled once again before running off into the night. 

With the barn now almost empty Elise could see a door to a seperate room past the control box. It was locked but only with a simple lock that could be opened with a good kick to right area. It swung open and bounced off the back wall with a crash that she hoped wouldn’t echo too far towards the house. Inside the room was a mix of an office and a storage area. Crates were stacked to her shoulders but they were unlabeled. She stabbed the bolt cutters just under the lid and pried it up, the wood creaking as the nails gave. Resting the lid against the wall she looked back at the contents and immediately took a step back. It was filled with explosive devices. 

 

Owen was keeping one eye on the cellar door as Jack made a mental note of what had been stored down there. 

“I don’t think they were hunting those weevils. I think they were using them for combat training.” Jack said, more to himself than Owen.

“What for?”

“I don’t know.”

Elise called through coms. “We have a lot of explosives out here. The weevils are free but there are crates upon crates of these things.”

“What kind are we talking?”

“The kind that could destroy a house the size of the one you’re in with only one of them.”

“Any sign of what they have planned to do with them?”

“I’m looking… There are papers here… Let see… Something about funding… Downsizing… UNIT… I can bring it all back. Want me to bring the computer hard drive too?”

“Yes, take as much as you can comfortably carry.”

“Right. Also, the weevils are definitely breeding.”

“Yea? Were they having an intimate night in when you got there?”

“No, but one of the mothers showed off her baby to me.”

“I’ve never seen a baby one before.”

“It looks like they cling onto the mother for a while. What did you find in there?”

“An armoury. It doesn’t look like there’s anything alien here though.”

“Thinking of handing it off to the police?”

“As long as you have the documents and the weevils have gone we might as well.”

Owen hushed Jack, hearing movement. Someone was walking down the stairs. “Elise, can you make us a distraction?”

“Sure. Hold on a sec.”

 

Elise space jumped to the window outside of the dining room and swung the bolt cutters, smashing the glass into a million pieces. The house lit up and everyone living there ran to see what had happened giving Owen and Jack a chance to slip past behind them and out of the still open back door. Sprinting away was not easy in the pitch black across the grass but using any kind of light would give away their position. A shot rang out through the air as the group hopped the fence, seeing the distant shine of red and blue lights. 

“I took the liberty of calling the police about the weapons stash while you were in the cellar.” Ianto reported from his desk back at the hub. He’d decided to stay back and listen in just in case anything went wrong, though he had taken off his shoes and indulged in a midnight snack. From the only snack stash Jack hadn’t found yet ,but mostly because he’d intentionally got the designers to make a few hidden spaces in his desk when the place had been redecorated. 

“I would have thought you’d be asleep by now.” Jack laughed, relieved that they had backup right around the corner. 

“I thought it would be wise to have someone awake just in case.”

The trio slowed to a halt as a police car sped past in the opposite direction followed by a van among other vehicles just behind. The trek to the SUV became much more relaxed until they spotted a large, hunched, figure hanging around next to it. 

“Eli I think it’s one of your friends.” Said Owen, still not used to not immediately running from weevils.

The scar faced brute of a weevil loped over and held out its hand, something shining in the limited light. 

“Is that for me?” She asked switching on her torch to see better. The weevil growled over at Jack and Owen, puffing out its chest and baring its teeth. “Woah there. They’re with me.” 

It glared at the men before huffing and offering the object again. It looked like an antique gold pocket watch stained with spatters of blood. She took a glove from her pocket and picked up the watch. 

“Where did you get this? Did you hurt a human?”

The weevil shook his head and offered his claws to prove it. 

“Is this person alive?”

It shook its head.

“Who killed them?”

The weevil gestured up to the direction of the house. 

“And where’s the body?”

It paused for a moment before making a snorting noise and pointing at the house.

“Something that makes that noise?”

It nodded. 

“They were fed to pigs?”

Once again it nodded, looking almost proud of itself.

“Thanks big guy. You get back to the others safe.” 

It nodded and returned to the darkness away from the noise and lights of the road. 

Jack had been silent the entire time. “I thought they could just understand words when you spoke but… That one understood concepts. That’s more than just translating language.”

“It’s always been like that. They just get it as long as I keep things simple. What are you thinking?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Well, can we think about it on the way back? I’m knackered.” Asked Owen, yawning.

 

The sun rose over Cardiff and Janey sat waiting in the lobby. She’d taken off the frills and her face paint, hoping that Jack would return soon. The film canister lent against her seat, still sealed and untouched. She didn’t even want to free the others really, she’d just panicked and fallen into her old ways. She didn’t like how the Ghostmaster ran things either. She never had but at the time the show was her only option. She was homeless and freezing when the night travellers had appeared. She’d just wanted to get warm and everyone had been so friendly. They didn’t judge her on sight and were more than happy to take her with them. When Jack appeared he seemed as lost as she was and needed a friend. He’s been the first to accept her for who she was and taught her how to interact with an audience, create a persona and create an act. It had been the best time in her life.  The door slowly opened, light flooding in from outside. 

“Who’s zere?” She asked meekly.

“Who else?” Said Jack softly, closing the door behind him.

“I’m sorry. You are not too angry at me are you?”

He sighed and pulled over a seat. “No. I know why you did it.”

“I did not free zem. I did not even try.”

“I know. Why don’t you hand it over and we can forget all about it?”

She grabbed the canister and held it out. “What happens now?”

“I’ll make sure this is kept safe and then you can do what you want. Start a new life.”

“Jack… As nice as zat sounds I’m not sure.”

“Just come outside and take a look.”

“What about Lorna and Andreas?”

“They can’t be trusted, you know that. If they weren’t intent on letting the rest of the troup out I’d offer them the same.”

“Why keep ze film zen? Just destroy it and free zem.”

“Janey, if this film’s destroyed I don’t know what’ll happen to you. It could kill you.” 

“I’ve been zinking… Maybe zat’s for ze best.”

“What?” He visibly deflated.

“We had our time and did awful zings. I zink we should be forgotten.”

“Janey-”

“Non! Even if I started my life again it would not take away what I have done. I am a ghost, a memory. Everyone always treated me like a child. Maybe it is time I acted as an adult.”

“Jane… What happened back then was not your fault. Just, please come and see what I’ve been doing all this time, then decide.” 

She looked into his sad eyes. “Fine. Please don’t be upset. I-” She stopped suddenly.

“What’s wrong?”

She raised her hand and looked at her fingers that were slowly fading. Jack looked between his friend and the still closed canister, then up at the security cameras. They were brought back by the film but how many cameras had captured them since? The file loop was up. Janey was being overwritten on the off site server. 

“Just hold on.” He knelt next to her as she fell forward, flickering in and out of existence. 

She smiled up at him. “It is alright. Just stay wiz me until it is over.”

“The power is off this shouldn’t be-”

“Jack. I have been gone for a long time.”

“I should have stayed. You shouldn’t have spent your last night alone.” He said through gritted teeth.

“I spent last night looking out at all ze lights. Zey were so beautiful… You said I would see ze bright lights one day. It was worz ze wait.” 

A tear ran down his face and fell to the floor, Janey fading to nothing, leaving him alone in the dark lobby. 

 

Tosh turned as she heard the door roll open. Jack walked in looking dejected and lost in his own thoughts. She could guess why after the two in the cells faded.

He tossed the canister onto a table with a sharp clank. 

“Jack? I’m sorry.” She sighed, not knowing what else to say.

“She wanted to go… I should have looked into the effect of the security cameras.”

“I… I was looking into what might have happened to her before but I can’t find any record of her.”

He smiled sadly. “You wouldn’t without the name she was christened with.”

“I didn’t realise she had another name.”

“You wouldn’t. She dropped that name the second she joined… You can look for historical records of a kid named Jean Luis Caron… I knew when she died the first time.”

“You did?”

“I had some contacts who saw it.”

She pulled a chair over, seeing he needed someone to just listen. “What happened?”

He sat like he’d been carrying the world on his shoulders. “She’d been working on her tightrope act and she wanted to debut it. Of course she didn’t have a net. She was almost at the end of her routine and… She didn’t fall. She looked into the lights and jumped… She always loved the bright lights.”

“Oh Jack.”

“It was my fault. I was the only thing between her and giving up. I knew she’d hurt herself in the past but she seems to be coping so much better.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that. You can’t hold people together forever, especially if you’re in a bad situation yourself. You did your best and she knew that. I could tell that from only knowing her for less than an hour. You can’t carry the whole world on your own, that’s what we’re here for.”

“Tosh…”

“Do you want to see what all of the papers Elise brought back said?”

Jack smiled and lent on her desk. “Sure.”

“It looks as if UNIT funding has been cut to the most bare bones level so Lord Thresher and a large group of his old hunting group started collecting weapons to protect themselves from an alien invasion they’re convinced is on the way.”

“Explains why there was no sign of UNIT when Cthulhu showed its face.”

“It gets more interesting. They were convinced of all of this by a perennial thorn in our side, though it didn’t end well for him. After showing Thresher where the weevils were he decided to cut the loose end.”

“The watch belonged to Billis.”

“It has his name engraved inside.”

“Even for a time traveller he’s risking a lot just to be an annoyance.”

“It’s only just an annoyance because Elise can control the weevils. He thinks she’s gone.”

“So he thinks we would have been overrun. He’s going to realise she’s still around eventually… I can’t work out what his long term plan is. We’ve put him on the back burner for too long.”

“How on earth are we going to track him, let alone stop him.”

“Killing him doesn’t work and trapping him here would be pointless. He’s using other people to get to us and other versions of himself could continue. A time lock wouldn’t work. If we could take away his travelling ability or sever the link he has to the creature in the rift.”

“Abaddon.”

“You remember its name?”

“I remember most things… And Eli says it in her sleep sometimes.”

“That’s concerning.” He studied Tosh carefully, already feeling uneasy.

“She says a lot in her sleep but I’m not fluent in Welsh so I can’t be sure exactly what. I’ve heard a few names and words I recognise but it could be typical sleep talking.” 

“Would you mind recording her for me?”

“Should I tell her?”

“No, not yet. I don’t want to worry her if I don’t have to.”

She paused. “Why would she be worried?”

“She always worries when I say anything about her rift connection.” Not a lie but not the complete truth either. 

“Jack-”

She was interrupted by Gwens arrival. “Sorry, I slept through my alarm.”

Jack stood. “It’s fine. I went earlier.” He was outwardly back to his normal self.

“Oh. Is everything ok?”

“I couldn’t sleep. The sunrise was beautiful, you should have seen it.”

“Well, I saw that your raid last night hit the news.”

“What are they saying?”

“That he was trafficking weapons and explosives overseas. There’s a whole media circus around the place.”  

  
  
  
  



End file.
